Republicans squandered gains made among US Hispanic voters (AFP)

[Eugene]

Republicans squandered gains made among US Hispanic voters

by Antonio Rodriguez Wed Nov 8, 7:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Republicans squandered gains made over the
years among Hispanic voters in Tuesday's mid-term elections, largely
due to their shrill anti-immigrant rhetoric, analysts said.

Republican President George W. Bush, who was governor of the heavily
Hispanic state of Texas before entering the White House, helped draw
growing numbers of the largest US minority group to his party in
elections past.

But 73 percent of Hispanic voters cast ballots Tuesday for Democratic
congressional candidates, and only 26 percent voted Republican -- far
below the 40 percent Hispanic support Bush received for his 2004
re-election bid, according to a CNN exit poll.

"The people in charge of attracting the Hispanic vote must be crying
in the White House," analyst Sergio Bendixen told AFP.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061109/pl_afp/usvotehispanics_061109002307